The present invention relates to an image telecommunication system for facilitating mutual understanding between a worker who actually works at a workplace and a manager who manages the worker from a remote place.
Guard and maintenance of security, patrolling around a factory, etc. are generally carried out by a single person. In normal cases, the routine work itself, such as maintenance and patrol, can be performed by a worker who is not familiar with the workplace. However, in preparation for some unusual situations, a manager stands by in a managing room, who has a full knowledge the workplace environment and the handling and performance of the apparatuses in the workplace.
When the worker finds anything unusual in the workplace, if necessary, he/she can tell the manager in the managing room about the abnormality through wired communications such as a telephone or radio communications such as a cellular phone. The worker asks the manager for voice instructions also through the wired or radio communications. The worker, for example, carries out an operation to cope with the unusual matter in accordance with the manager""s instructions.
However, when information is exchanged between the worker and the manager only by voice through the telephone or the like, the following problems may arise.
First, when a single worker who does not know the jobs very well patrols the workplace, there is a high possibility that he or she may overlook an unusual matter.
Second, even if the worker finds an unusual matter, the manager stationed in the managing room may not understand details of the matter accurately, since the worker tells the situations only by word. In this case, the manager cannot give the worker instructions for the optimal measures to cope with the unusual matter.
Therefore, the manager goes to the workplace where the unusual matter occurs. However, since it takes a certain time for the manager to arrive at the workplace, this measure is inadequate in case of emergency.
Monitor cameras can be set in suitable points in the workplace, so that the manager in the managing room can monitor the images photographed by the monitor cameras. However, in general, the monitor cameras are meant to take an image of a wide field in the work place to monitor whether an unusual matter occurs. Therefore, detailed images of the abnormality cannot be observed in the managing room. In addition, since the monitor camera can take pictures only in a predetermined direction, it is impossible to observe the abnormality from different directions.
The present invention has been made to overcome the above situations. Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an image telecommunication system by which a manager in a remote place can visually understand the situations in the workplace accurately without fail, even if the worker who patrols the workplace is not familiar with the equipment therein.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an image telecommunication system which can supply a stable image to a manager in a remote place and by which the manager can visually understand the situations in the workplace accurately without fail, even if the worker who patrols the workplace is not familiar with the equipment therein.
A third object of the present invention is to provide an image telecommunication system which can transmit not only voice instructions but also visual instructions for the actual workplace from a manager to a worker, and by which the manager can visually understand the situations in the workplace accurately without fail and give appropriate instructions to the worker, even if the worker who patrols the workplace is not familiar with the equipment therein.
To achieve the first object, an image telecommunication system of the present invention comprises: a worker""s device, put on a worker, for collecting an image of an object present in a field of view of the worker and transmitting it outside the worker""s device; and a manager""s device, placed in a remote place distant from the worker""s device, for receiving and displaying the image of the object transmitted from the worker""s device on a display screen, wherein: the worker""s device includes detecting means for detecting a point of view of the worker; and the manager""s device includes displaying means for displaying the detected point of view on the display screen, when it is determined that the worker looks at the object substantially continuously.
In the image telecommunication system having the above structure, the worker""s device is put on the worker who executes various jobs including patrol in the workplace. An image of an object present in a field of view of the worker is collected by the worker""s device, transmitted to the remote manager""s device, and displayed on the display screen.
In this case, since the point of view is displayed on the display screen when the worker continuously looks at the object, the manager can accurately recognize the position of the object in which the worker is interested.
To achieve the second object, an image telecommunication system of the present invention comprises: a worker""s device, put on a worker, for collecting an image of an object present in a field of view of the worker and transmitting it outside the worker""s device; and a manager""s device, placed in a remote place distant from the worker""s device, for receiving and displaying the image of the object transmitted from the worker""s device on a display screen, wherein: the worker""s device includes detecting means for detecting a point of view of the worker; and the manager""s device includes fluctuation suppressing means for suppressing fluctuation of the image displayed on the display screen, when it is determined that the worker looks at the object substantially continuously.
Since the worker""s device is put on the worker, when the worker moves or swings, the image of the object collected by the worker""s device and displayed on the display screen of the manager""s device also moves or swings. As a result, the manager must look at the moving image, which is very difficult to observe. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the movement (fluctuation) of the image of the object displayed on the display screen.
In general, even when the field of view is changed by moving the head on which the worker""s device is put, the worker continues looking at the same portion of the object in a central portion of the field of view in which he/she is interested. According to the present invention, when it is determined that the worker looks at the object substantially continuously, the fluctuation of the image is suppressed.
Thus, the manager can observe the image of the object displayed on the display screen in the same manner as the worker.
To achieve the third object, an image telecommunication system of the present invention comprises: a worker""s device, put on a worker, for collecting an image of an object present in a field of view of the worker and transmitting it outside the worker""s device; and a manager""s device, placed in a remote place distant from the worker""s device, for receiving and displaying the image of the object transmitted from the worker""s device on a display screen, wherein: the manager""s device includes transmitting means for transmitting a designated position, designated in a state where the image is displayed on the display screen, to the worker""s device; and the worker""s device includes indicating means for indicating a position on the object corresponding to the designated position received from the manager""s device.
In the image telecommunication system having the above structure, the worker puts on the worker""s device. An image of an object present in a field of view of the worker is collected by the worker""s device, transmitted to the remote manager""s device in a manager""s room where the manager is stationed, and displayed on the display screen. When the manager designates a point of the object displayed on the display screen of the manager""s device, the corresponding position of the object in the workplace is indicated via the worker""s device put on the worker.
Thus, the image in the workplace can be transmitted to the manager in the remote place with reality, while instructions can be transmitted from the manager to the worker accurately.
Additional object and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The object and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.